Burning

I bathe in the wrath of a withering star
as a hammer confers with concrete,
ignoring the hardhats that labor to jar
me from reverie’s soothing retreat:

I dreamt of moments in the grass
observing pliant nimbus pass
the vigor in my tawny skin
as vibrant as my eager grin,
no thoughts of senseless enmity
to soil the unfettered me
nor any pressing plans to ply
just me, the earth, the endless sky...

A deafening crash brings me back to the truth
and I blink in the dazzling glare
as photons more feisty than those of my youth
incite me with each fleeting flare.

Slacken

I sought a soothing subject to expound upon today
but found no wry expressions that were worth the breath to say
so I jotted down a couple lines that didn’t take much thought
relaxing nerves that heretofore were dangerously taut.

Press

Twenty six soldiers of lead
have conquered the heart and the head
with passionate plays that have fed
the fancy of all who have read.

Back to Reality

The giant was humbled (and grumbled a bit)
abashed that the eggheads were brimming with shit
he found out that lingo (while sounding quite sweet)
should not be confused with a plan that’s complete
he called on his captain (a grizzled old cuss)
to foster tradition and bury this fuss
while those in the trenches (who bled all along)
are wondering what the hell took so damn long!?!

Broken Dancer V - Monotone

Sitting, waiting, watching lifetime
Slip between your hands
Like sands from a broken hour glass

Sweeping up the sands of time
We often find our hidden selves
But then it’s too late to change what could’ve been helped

Home alone on a rainy day
Quietly composed
Wondering who ordered the storm

The sound of rain drops on the sill
Like moments from your life
Drip on in a dreadful monotone

Hopeless, relentless problems
Running through your mind
Suddenly your dream falls behind

Looking back to find its face
Buried in the crowd
It hides itself never to be found

Floating through society
Adrift without an oar
About to sink like a hefty stone

The slap of waves against your hull
Like moments from your life
Slosh on in a dreadful monotone

Running nowhere on a treadmill
Watching life pass by
You better say goodbye

Broken Dancer IV - Four Wheels

Remembering summer days
How I used to love to play
Running, jumping, climbing trees
Sharing secrets with the breeze
But then my promise made me new
I had no friends I could turn to
The price seemed much too high before
Now I wish I had paid more
How my parents taunted me
Refusing needed sympathy
Driving me to fulfill their dreams
They never heard my silent screams
Alone I laughed, alone I cried
Alone I chose to run and hide
I never wanted company
My only friend was misery

Remembering those days at school
When I played the silent fool
Afraid to share my tales of pain
Afraid of being controlled again
The dance was all I lived to do
It kept me strong and pulled me through
The times when no one seemed to care
The troubled times of deep despair
Silence, all I dreamed about
Was constantly being shut out
By the applause of those who always failed
To see the hate my smile veiled
Pain, the only thing real for me
Was confused with artistic eccentricity
Never feeling understood
I’ve grown up cold and subdued

Remembering those days on stage
I suppress a fleeting rage
That cries for recompense
That strives to make some sense
My dancers legs, no longer whole
Destroyed by fate in a single blow
Lie uselessly below my waist
Displaying the result of my haste
Yes, four wheels make up most of me
Two large, two small in harmony
The rest is just a wasted mass
Barely able to make a gasp
If only I had tried a little more
If only I had cared before
Perhaps these endless days of pain
Would not be driving me insane

Broken Dancer III - Too Much Gas

Another show over
But you don’t feel right
You get into your car
And burn into the night

Trees whizzing by
The stars in the sky
Tears flood your eyes
You can’t see the road

The needle hits eighty
You’ve sweat on your brow
When it passes one hundred
You lose your resolve

You stomp on the brakes
They fail to take
You realize your mistake
By then you’ve lost control

You gave it too much gas
You went much too fast
There were no cars to pass
You just gave it too much gas

Spinning and swerving
All over the road
You can’t see the truck
There’s no way to avoid

Crushed and bleeding you lay
You hear someone say
The ambulance is on the way
Oh the hell with it

From the operating table
The doctor looks grim
He’s shaking his head
Everything grows dim

In a recovery room
Draped with gloom
You find out you’re doomed
You’ll never walk again

You gave it too much gas
You went much too fast
Never again will you dance
You just gave it too much gas

Broken Dancer II - Glory Child

See the potential glory child
Wasting away, getting high all the while
See his bitter smile

Because, he says, there’s no sense
In being someone special
If you can’t be someone free

So why don’t we all go get stoned
So we can be the same
Too blind to see

Too blind to see
What’s eating us away inside
Too concerned
With jealousy and petty pride
Too wrapped up
In our forlorn dreams
It’s enough to
Make me want to scream

And scream he will
When one that has it all throws it all away
He’ll be sorry another day

Oh glory child with your
Hair brushed and angelic smile
Can’t you see the damage you’ve done?

Just to have your own way
Even the slightest victory
You discard common sense
And turn your back on dignity
Sneaking out to have your fun
Soon it will be history
But history has a way of haunting the future
Glory child better hide your bitter smile

Broken Dancer I - It's In You

It’s in you,
Can’t you feel it my son?
You were born to be great
To be number one
You must cease all your playing
And practice non-stop
If you have any hopes
Of reaching the top
It’s in you my son
You must not be afraid
Just keep on dancing
Till your fortune is made
Then you can care for us
As we’ve cared for you
Can’t you feel it my son
Our greatest dreams come true?

I see in you a seed
Of blind discontent
And selfish greed
To an unknown extent
Oh mother dear
You knew from the start
To remove the fear
You rip out the heart
But you forgot that hate
Soon takes its place
And now it’s too late
For me to erase
The anger I feel
When I look at you
This just can’t be real
My worst nightmare come true.

Day after day
Hour upon hour
I go through the motions
I grunt and perspire,
But my mind is moving
Apart from my feet
It’s dreaming of freedom
Of walking the street—
I’m never allowed
Out of the house
I have no friends
My parents know about
I’m just a lonely child
Forced to be a dancer
It seems to be a riddle
For which there is no simple answer.

Anthem

Existential exaltations
mollify misguided nations
stimulating separations
axing all amalgamations.

Contend

If friends turn to foes
don’t brace for more blows
neglecting deflecting
bodes ill for the nose.

When plans go awry
don’t curl up and cry
endeavor forever
to fearlessly try!

Key Ring

Back in days of innocence
my heart was like an open door;
the portal to such pristine bliss
unlocked, I thought, for evermore.

But as orbits quickly flew
I felt the pull of gravity,
every time my burden grew
I gained another weighty key.

My ring has grown over time
denoting quite a heavy load,
it jingles with a haunting chime
that rings goodbye to days of old.

Now my heart, no longer free
clamors in a rusting cage,
as I scrounge for one small key
to loose the fetters of old age.

Break

The lower the rung
the quicker the wit—
when drowning in dung
you laugh or you quit.

Gallant Tree

Oh friendly tree I love thy breeze
more than you’ll ever know
but I can’t bend with supple ease
like thee when tempests blow;
contentment courses through thy veins
yet someday thou will leave
and here beside thy bare remains
will end my short reprieve.

Self Rising

I bagged the pointless griping
and practiced fancy piping
for cupcakes look much sweeter when they flaunt a little flair;
the recipe to savor
isn’t all about the flavor,
omit the things prohibiting a treat as light as air.